The Italian Job (B or 3/4 stars)
Venice, Italy: a band of thieves pulls-off an exhilarating $35,000,000 heist, only to have one of their men, Steve (Edward Norton) betray them by swiping the bars of gold for himself. Sometime later, the surviving men, led by Charlie (Mark Wahlberg) concoct an intricate plan to retrieve the money & get revenge. Steve had killed their father-figure leader, John (Donald Sutherland), in the initial betrayal. So their intent on Steve's demise is urgent. Nothing is groundbreaking about 'The Italian Job', a crime/action flick directed by F. Gary Gray. It's just an old-fashioned, energetic, crowd-pleasing action flick; no more no less.
The Venice heist had gone perfectly. Their escape: a wonder to behold. But after Steve kills John, Charlie is forced to grieve and re-think a cohesive plan of swift retribution. Charlie gathers up Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) to be their wheelman, Lyle (Seth Green), their computer whiz, and Left Ear (Mos Def), their explosives expert. John 'was' their all-important safe-cracker. To fill his spot, they enlist the help of his beautiful safe-cracking daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron). Initially, she is too bereft and angry that her father & his crew allowed all of this to happen. But after some earnest sweet-talking by Charlie, she is tentatively cajoled into dismantling Steve. She'd like nothing more than to avenge her father's death & be an integral part of this backstabbers' downfall.
The heist is for revenge, but the money sure wouldn't hurt {wink}. In order to ensure the success of this high-tech heist, they need to create the largest traffic jam that Los Angeles has ever seen. By tripping up all forms of communication & transportation, can they get 'all' of the money back? Where is it all tied up? Using their awesome Mini Coopers, can they make a clean getaway? Or will Steve out-trick them once again? Will emotions get in the way? Will everyone survive? Who comes out the victor? Edward Norton is great here, but here's hoping his Steve can meet an ugly, ugly fate.
The chase scenes in this film are truly spectacular. Sometimes I can get a little hum-drum during action scenes (my mind wonders if I feel I've seen these tricks before); not this time. Forget The Fast & the Furious, the automotive flourishes in 'Italian Job' gives Furious a good run for its $$. But what is even more impressive is that the comedy in this caper counts just as much as the action & it's handled beautifully. There's a perfect blend to keep us excited, alert, and invested in the 5 main characters. Jason Statham's Rob is hysterically vain. Seth Green's Lyle can't get over the fact that his original 'Napster' idea was stolen from him. And Mos Def's Left Ear is deaf in that ear because of his expertise in dynamite. Some very humorous dialogue is spawned from these character's traits.
This certainly isn't Oscar caliber (check your brain at the door), & it's fairly generic (with flashes of wit & entertaining thrills). But a great cast, & a slick, well-executed plot makes 'The Italian Job' a fun way to eat your way to the bottom of the popcorn bag and escape your troubles at the nearest cinemaplex.
The Venice heist had gone perfectly. Their escape: a wonder to behold. But after Steve kills John, Charlie is forced to grieve and re-think a cohesive plan of swift retribution. Charlie gathers up Handsome Rob (Jason Statham) to be their wheelman, Lyle (Seth Green), their computer whiz, and Left Ear (Mos Def), their explosives expert. John 'was' their all-important safe-cracker. To fill his spot, they enlist the help of his beautiful safe-cracking daughter, Stella (Charlize Theron). Initially, she is too bereft and angry that her father & his crew allowed all of this to happen. But after some earnest sweet-talking by Charlie, she is tentatively cajoled into dismantling Steve. She'd like nothing more than to avenge her father's death & be an integral part of this backstabbers' downfall.
The heist is for revenge, but the money sure wouldn't hurt {wink}. In order to ensure the success of this high-tech heist, they need to create the largest traffic jam that Los Angeles has ever seen. By tripping up all forms of communication & transportation, can they get 'all' of the money back? Where is it all tied up? Using their awesome Mini Coopers, can they make a clean getaway? Or will Steve out-trick them once again? Will emotions get in the way? Will everyone survive? Who comes out the victor? Edward Norton is great here, but here's hoping his Steve can meet an ugly, ugly fate.
The chase scenes in this film are truly spectacular. Sometimes I can get a little hum-drum during action scenes (my mind wonders if I feel I've seen these tricks before); not this time. Forget The Fast & the Furious, the automotive flourishes in 'Italian Job' gives Furious a good run for its $$. But what is even more impressive is that the comedy in this caper counts just as much as the action & it's handled beautifully. There's a perfect blend to keep us excited, alert, and invested in the 5 main characters. Jason Statham's Rob is hysterically vain. Seth Green's Lyle can't get over the fact that his original 'Napster' idea was stolen from him. And Mos Def's Left Ear is deaf in that ear because of his expertise in dynamite. Some very humorous dialogue is spawned from these character's traits.
This certainly isn't Oscar caliber (check your brain at the door), & it's fairly generic (with flashes of wit & entertaining thrills). But a great cast, & a slick, well-executed plot makes 'The Italian Job' a fun way to eat your way to the bottom of the popcorn bag and escape your troubles at the nearest cinemaplex.